Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Ocean City Mariner

Ocean City, MD - The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a missing mariner off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, after an extensive multi-day effort covering more than 2,500 square nautical miles.

The search began on June 11, 2026, when local law enforcement notified Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector Maryland-National Capital Region that a man was missing.

He was believed to have left Sunset Marina aboard a 25-foot recreational vessel and was known to fish in offshore waters near Ocean City.

Crews located the vessel after receiving information about where it might be. Aircraft flew over the boat but could not make contact with anyone on board. A rescue swimmer was deployed to check the vessel and confirmed it was empty.

From there, the Coast Guard took over as search and rescue coordinator and launched a full-scale operation. That included fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and surface vessels. Crews also deployed Self-Locating Datum Marker Buoys to track ocean currents and monitor how the empty vessel was drifting.

An HC-130J Hercules crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City relocated the boat on Friday and dropped a second buoy nearby before heading back to base.

After a 20-hour search covering roughly 2,539 square nautical miles, an area about the size of Delaware, the Coast Guard suspended the case pending further information.

Shortly after the suspension, the Coast Guard Cutter Pompano took the vessel in tow. A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Indian River took over and brought the vessel to their station. Friends of the mariner's family picked up the boat Saturday afternoon.

The search drew resources from multiple Coast Guard stations and sectors, including Ocean City, Atlantic City, Elizabeth City, Virginia, Maryland-National Capital Region, Delaware Bay, and East District.

Anyone with information about the missing mariner is asked to contact the U.S. Coast Guard East District Command Center at 1-833-453-1269.